What makes a city memorable

This summer, I went to 36 independently-owned bookstores across the state of Iowa. From big cities like Des Moines and Davenport to smaller communities like Pella and Carroll.

When you visit so many locations in such a short period of time, many of them blur together. Despite this, some stick out. Reflecting on the places we traveled has inspired me to think about what makes a city memorable.

One of the biggest factors for me is a city’s identity. Often these are things either built into the history or geography of the region.

Pella is one of the first cities to come to mind. Rich in Dutch history, Pella is home to many picturesque windmills. Though it’s a busy tour and we were in a hurry, we were inspired to stop and take photos next to the massive windmills. This is a way a city can use its identity to be memorable.

When I think of other cities that stick out, I think of McGregor and Decorah in the northeast corner by the Mississippi River. Not every city will be fortunate to be on such a beautiful piece of land, but the cities capitalize on this, creating scenic areas and tours to bring people to the area.

While working some Saturdays at The Latest Edition Bookstore in Creston, I had the fortune of talking to people who were on the tour themselves. One of the biggest things I was asked about were our murals. People notice and are impressed by the amount of art in our Uptown District. But how do we capitalize on that?

I’m in this year’s section of Lead UC and our session yesterday was held at the Creston Arts building where we learned a bit about the goal for an art ecology in Creston. I can’t say enough how much a city’s unique identity helps make it stand out.

The worst thing someone can say after visiting our city is that they don’t remember anything. Creston has a diverse range of beauty and history. We can see history in the stately restored depot, but we also see it in the chipped sidewalks, peeling paint and empty storefronts.

Blake Fry-Schnormeier said when they began to make the initial push for murals in the city, they looked for the roughest, most rundown walls. This sentiment is inspiring as it shows our most vulnerable, “unattractive” parts of the city can become our most beautifully memorable.

The other thing that made cities stick out were their downtown shops. Throughout our trips, Erin and I stopped at clothing boutiques, a chocolate shop, a soda shoppe, a plant store and more. The places that had numerous shops on our walk from the car to the bookstore were the most enticing.

When I think of the work being put into our Uptown district in Creston, I wonder how they impact the way visitors view our city.

There are so many reasons to want our city to be appealing and memorable for outsiders. To start, visitors means revenue. When they shop, eat and stay, money comes to small business owners and sales tax dollars stay in the community.

We don’t have a four-year college year, so inevitably, many young people will leave this town if they are pursuing that degree path. How do we bring them back? How do we entice others to come to our community to keep it flourishing?

I’m not under the delusion that Creston is going to ever be a top-10 U.S. destination, but how can we drive people and businesses here? It starts with taking pride in our community. There are so many great ways to give back. From our service clubs like Kiwanis, Rotary and Lion’s to charitable organizations like Sleep in Heavenly Peace, there are so many ways to help.